Monday, July 12, 2010

Drawing in the countryside

I just came home from a few days of vacation on the lovely island Fur in the northern part of Denmark. Danish countryside means agriculture and a few forests plus a lot of coastline and beaches. It’s an old country and hence many buildings are rather old too. – A lovely feature when you want to relax a bit by drawing.

We had set out, the entire family (myself, my 6 year old daughter and my parents) to find a good spot for drawing and ended up at an old farm. It’s a traditional square with a yard covered by cobbled stones and a large tree in the middle (a “protection tree”). Originally it was constructed in 1600-and-something, which shows by the wooden structure of the gate – later the roof of this part was covered with sheet metal unlike the main living part which is thatched like our summerhouse:

Okay, back to the farm. Grandfather, mother and daughter sat down and started drawing the same motif – the gate leading into the farm. The result was quite stunning. We were sitting a bit apart, and so the angel to the motif was slightly different, but it’s quite clear that we drew (or in my father case: painted) the same motif. Each of us chose different features to bring into the picture. Johanne of cause drew the swing and the weather vane, while I was concentrating on the inner woodwork of the gate. My father painted the building in its surroundings.

This is the first time that we had Johanne out on one of our traditional vacation-drawing trips and she loved it, working very concentrated. Not the last time I take her, she has a real talent to be nurtured!

To me it was just nice to draw something else than jewelry for a change and I think necessary in order to keep your drawing skills intact. Maybe I should draw a few more humans again – perhaps even coquis? It’s been a few years and that is one of the best drawing exercises available!